Can "anti-racism" trainings be racist?

It is good to fight against racism in schools and in the workplace. But a new wave of “anti-bias” trainings in public and private organizations are pushing a divisive and disempowering narrative surrounding race. Organizations ranging from local school districts to the Seattle government and the Treasury Department have singled out white employees for “anti-racism” trainings and engaged in humiliating practices that studies have shown to be ineffective.

In this episode, Naomi and Ian are joined by Christopher Rufo, director of the Discovery Institute’s Center on Wealth & Poverty, to discuss the impacts of critical race theory, a growing philosophy that seeks to distill a person’s identity to his or her race.

Resources:

The truth about critical race theory | The Wall Street Journal

Summary of critical race theory investigations | Christopherrufo.com

Time Stamps:

01:25 | How a public request led to uncovering divisive training sessions sponsored by the FBI, Treasury Department, NASA, and other core federal agencies

04:19 | The “weaponization” of anti-bias trainings

07:40 | Harvard study finds critical race theory anti-bias trainings are ineffective

10:35 | How do non-white employees respond to these trainings?

13:10 | What are children being taught in school about their race?